Opinion: Del Mar's new team

On Tuesday, Dec. 7, the Del Mar City Council bade farewell to longtime council members Richard Earnest and Crystal Crawford, and welcomed Lee Haydu and Terry Sinnott to the council. As I begin my third year on the council and my first term as mayor, I want to reassure our citizens that there will be a seamless transition as the new council team takes up the several high priority projects in Del Mar. Lee and Terry bring fresh ideas and new energy to the council, but we all will miss the wisdom and patience that came with Crystal and Richard’s many years of community service. Thank you Crystal and Richard for your dedication to Del Mar and for the example you set for our current council.

The City Council exists to serve our citizens, and we depend on your input and feedback to perform our jobs. I appreciate the high level of citizen involvement we have in Del Mar, and I hope to make communication between our citizens and the council faster and easier in the next year. The city has recently upgraded our website, and more updates are planned. We will be having neighborhood conversations about revitalization of our village center and the challenges in reducing our impact on the environment. We need to work together and recognize that we all love our small and unique community, even if we disagree about how to make it even better. Spirited arguments often lead to a better solution, but let’s remember Richard Earnest’s admonition to respect each other as involved, caring citizens.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as your mayor, and I welcome your advice and support as we move forward. We have a great new team, and I look forward to working with them and with you. Welcome to Lee and Terry, and let’s get on with our important tasks.